


Dino Hugs Are the Best

by BelovedShadow2217



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Other, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Insert, dino hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24324739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelovedShadow2217/pseuds/BelovedShadow2217
Summary: Sometimes you just want to be alone without everyone asking if you're okay. Good thing the Dinobots didn't get the memo.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 12





	Dino Hugs Are the Best

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATE: The beautiful image was drawn by the very talented and wonderful human being Erika that I commissioned from her and led this to little story.

**Author’s Notes:** This is a brief break from my usual writing and to indulge in some emotional ~~stuff?~~ fluff. It’s written in a 3rd POV but I chose it as a kinda self-insert because really, who would not want a hug from your fav robots in disguise?

**Disclaimer:** Transformers and all media associated with said franchise belong to Hasbro and is copyright protected. This was written in no way or form of making a profit and solely for the fulfillment of my own entertainment. If you happen to enjoy it, great.

“Dino Hugs Are the Best”

By: Beloved Shadow

Nothing excited the Dinobots more than being able to stomp Decepticons into the ground, or blasting fire at the surrounding rocky structure, but meeting up with their favorite squishy was right up there. The other ~~squishes~~ humans (Wheeljack told them repeatedly it wasn’t nice to call them squishes) were okay but this one actually wanted to spend time with them instead of the other Autobots. And she liked watching them stomp around and break stuff. And she didn’t call them names. So, the all-too familiar sight of a white Lancia Stratos Turbo with red/green racing stripes and a yellow Volkswagen Beetle was a welcoming sight and it was taking all the Dinobots had not to get too excited. However, as the doors opened they were disappointed to not see their favorite human among the group.

“Where Dinobot friend?” Grimlock demanded immediately, marching up to the Lancia as it quickly transformed.

“Well, she’s here but she’s not here here. With us, I mean,” Wheeljack tried to explain, helm fins flashing as he spoke. “But she promised she’ll meet up with us later!”

“What that mean?”

“It means she needs some time to herself,” Chip explained simply. “Just give her some alone time.”

“Why she alone? Me Grimlock no understand.”

“I don’t get it either, but she did promise she’ll see you guys later.” The others entered the Ark, talking among themselves but the Dinobots were still looking for their friend. Was she really okay? Why did she want to be alone? Did she not like them anymore? None of this made much sense for their simple processors but Wheeljack had said she promised to see them later and she never broke her promise to them. Reluctantly, they turned to head back inside, their steps slow and dragging, but two didn’t follow. Instead, they waited until their brothers were inside before following the slight heat signature they could detect. It wasn’t too far, and they wanted to see for their own optics if she was truly okay, or not.

* * *

The sun was out, the sky was clear and the weather was perfect, but it was too bad the weather was the complete opposite of how a young lady felt at the moment. Normally she loved coming to visit the Autobots, especially since it meant she got to spend her time with the Dinobots. Call her bias, but she saw cars everyday (yeah it was cool they could transform, but they were still cars).

_Maybe I shoulda stayed at home,’_ she thought to herself then thought against it. What was she gonna do at home? Mope and sulk in her pjs, curse at thin air, threaten to break something before dissolving into tears? No matter how fast she blinked she could feel the tears building up before they made their way down her cheeks once more. _‘Oh damnit.’_ She didn’t bother to hold them back this time as she buried her face into her knees, soaking the denim. At least this time she was alone and she didn’t have to deal with people or bots asking if she was okay.

Two pair of optics stared at the crying human, knowing without asking that something was wrong, their audios picking up the quiet sobs, but even though the others told them she wanted to be alone, _they_ didn’t want her to be alone. They wanted to help her, like she would help them. They moved silently (silent for them) towards the human, saying nothing but seeing her tense they paused, expecting her to tell them to leave her alone. She said nothing so they moved in closer; Swoop, in his robot mode and always careful around their favorite human, slowly sat next to her but didn’t reach out to her as much as he wanted to. A few moments later Snarl settled behind them in his dinobot mode, curling his tail around them. No one said anything but she didn’t tell them to leave or make any movement to move away from them. After some time, the crying stopped, and the young lady released the tight grip she has on her knees but she didn’t look up at them.

“I’m not in a good place right now, guys,” she finally said in a slightly hoarse tone, sniffing as she rubbed the back of her hand over her face. “But thanks for not pushing me.”

“But, you here. Me Swoop and Snarl no push you,” the pteranodon pointed out.

“Figure of speech.” Sitting crisscrossed on the ground, the young lady stared off into the distance, staring at nothing in particular for several long moments, and then spoke up. “I envy you guys, more than I have ever envied anyone before.” Looking down in her lap she began picking up random pebbles as she continued to list her reasons. “You, are like one big dysfunctional family, but you would risk your metal plating for one another, you fight together, you argue together, and sure you listen to Optimus when you want to but at least you get to go and smash things. Even the Decepticons know better than to mess with any of you.” Soon she had a small pile and she was smiling, but it was a weak, bitter one. “And you’re friends with me… someone who lets others walk over her like a doormat, who’s gullible enough to believe no one would hurt her, who bends over backwards to make others like her, to help them without so much as a thank you, who sacrifices time, and effort, and patience, and money, and even sanity because you need help. And for what… for nothing!” The human had begun tossing the pebbles one by one until she grabbed the small handful she had remaining and threw it as hard as she could before her.

“I trusted him, I freaking trusted him and he _hurt_ me! The one person I thought who would never hurt me, the one person I thought would never do something that low, who I believed in but he betrays my trust, calls me names, threatens not only my job but curses me out and threatens to-to cut me open like a pig?!” She was so mad she hadn’t realized she had gotten to her feet, taking a few steps away from the two stunned bots, her fists so tightly clenched they were shaking but she didn’t care. Tilting her head back she looked like she wanted to scream but she could only stand there and cry, slowly dropping to her knees as she struck the ground with her fists.

“I hate him… I-I hate him for not learning from his mistakes, I hate him for ruining his life, I hate him for blaming everyone for his faults, I hate him for hurting me, for betraying my trust, stealing from me! I hate him so damn much! I h-hate him… but, I hate myself for listening to someone say “oh trust him, he’s going to help you out” and not listening to everyone who said “don’t trust him, he doesn’t care about anyone except himself and will be the first to throw you under the bus”. I hate myself for being so damn weak for not saying no. I hate that, I was too blind not to see the signs before me. I hate him… because, I believed in him when no one else did… only for him to throw it in my face.” Sitting back on her heels she stared blankly at the ground, feeling numb from her explosive rant but no better than she did earlier. The hurtful words were coming back and every insult, every threat hurt more than the last. “Maybe he’s right… I, I am worthless… I’m just a pathetic loser with nothing going for me… and I’ll die as I live my life, alone…”

Snarl had never heard the small human talk like that before. She was normally so happy when she came to visit, excited to see them and eager to help out in whatever way she could. She also stood up for them when some of the Autobots called them names and praised them for a job well-done after battling Decepticons. Hearing her admit defeat, from someone she had trusted, hurting and afraid? He did not like it one little bit. Getting to his peds, he initiated the transformation even as he reached out and carefully lifted her into his servos. She was still crying, lost in her tears he remembered seeing something on Teletran-1 during a movie, when a femme human was crying and a mech human comforted her. The stegosaurus didn’t pretend to understand what was going on, but he had seen the human he was holding do the same to others before, so maybe it would work on her.

The young lady didn’t register anything, still reeling from her emotional outbreak, but the warmth pressing into her left side was slowly pulling her out of the dark pit she had thrown herself into. Blinking slowly, she finally realized not only was she several stories off the ground, she was being cradled ever so gently in hands she had seen were capable of ripping the wings off a military jet off as easily as she could tear a piece of paper. She blinked as she felt more warmth now pressing into her right side, another pair of hands coming up, thick fingers curling around her, protecting her, comforting her. Snarl and Swoop, the youngest of the Dinobots but no less dangerous, were holding her up between their faces in what she could only describe as one of the best embraces she ever needed. She wasn’t sure what to do, even as her hands shook, she reached out and gripped their fingers as tightly as she could as she felt the tears start anew once more.

“Why you cry? This not right?” Swoop asked in concern, ready to pull back. Were they hurting her?

“N-No, it’s not that. I-” she hiccupped as she rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand, letting out a weak laugh but she leaned into them, the warmth from them was actually chasing away the deep-set chill she didn’t know she had been hiding inside. “I never would’ve thought you guys knew what a hug was.”

Snarl, who was only ever truly happy when he was fighting, gave a small smile as he and his brother continued to gently nuzzle the human held between them. “Me Snarl sees humans do this. See you do this. Me think, it make you happy,” he explained in simple terms.

_‘Being gentle to them, is seen as a weakness, and yet they’re comforting me without being told.’_ It was enough to make her laugh but right now more than anything, she wished she was bigger, or they were in equal enough in size so she could happily return the favor. She briefly wondered if Grimlock or the others would have done the same, but right now she was just thankful these two were here for her. “You two give the best hug ever.” She giggled as she felt their chuckles vibrate into her body, warming her up even more; she was glad she came after all.

* * *

Bumblebee checked his chronometer once more before looking back at the door leading out of the rec room. “It’s getting kinda late, shouldn’t we go check up on her?”

“She said she would join us when she was ready to,” Chip replied but he looked at his watched as well, surprised at how late it was getting. “But it has been a while.”

“C’mon guys, she’s best friends with the Autobots, nothing is gonna happen to her,” Spike pointed out but being friends with the autonomous robotic organisms also came with consequences. Before they could decide whether to check on their friend, they heard the slow but steady sounds of the Dinobots coming down the hall. Looking up they saw through the doorway that Wheeljack was speaking to Snarl and Swoop quietly. It didn’t appear serious but looking closely they could see their friend slowly stand up in Snarl’s servos, say something before carefully stepping into Whee;jack’s. The dinobot warrior didn’t look happy but softened when she smiled up at them and waved. Without another word the two walked off and the resident engineer/scientist entered.

“Look who I found,” the Lancia grinned behind his mask as he came to the group’s table and carefully set her down.

“Hey guys, sorry if I worried anyone, I lost track of time,” she said softly as she brushed her hair behind her ear.

“You were gone for a long time, are you alright?” Bumblebee asked in concern.

“No… not really, but I will be,” she admitted quietly, refusing to look at them as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear once more.

“What does that mean?”

“Bumblebee!” The poor Autobot jumped when Carly scolded him only to turn to their friend and offered her a understanding smile. “We understand, we’re just glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks. And I mean it, thanks to all of you for giving me some space.” The small group of humans continued to hang out in the rec room for a while longer, talking with other bots who came and left, some asking if their newest ally was alright but it was the same answer she gave which left a lot of them confused but didn’t push for answers. Soon it was time for them to return home all save for one.

“I promised the Dinobots that I would visit them and its not fair if I don’t at least say hi before I leave,” she explained. “I can get a lift home later.”

“Do you want of us to stay with you?”

“Thanks but I think I’ll be okay. Not everyday someone can say they spent the day with five of the fiercest warriors the Autobots have,” she smiled.

“Yeah, with the shortest temper,” Spike said without thinking.

“Spike! That was rude!” his girlfriend scolded him as she slapped his arm.

“Ow! But it’s true!”

“Maybe, but there’s a lot more to them that meets the eye. You just need to give them a chance to see what they’re really like.” The group wanted to ask what she meant when Grimlock, of all bots, entered the rec room. After scanning the area, he immediately went over to the table, his optic band focused solely on one occupant.

“Me Grimlock here for you. You ready to see Dinobots?” he rumbled.

“Ready,” she smiled and once his hand was low enough, she climbed on and held on as he lifted his servo to his chassis, curling the digits securely around her. “I’ll talk to you all tomorrow. Later!” Without another word the metal king turned and walked out with his human companion in tow.

* * *

The plating was warm and the rumbles of the giant’s engine was soothing, the young lady couldn’t help but release a soft sigh. She knew her friends wanted answers, but she wasn’t ready to tell them the full story. Sure she would like to, but was it right to air out her dirty laundry like that? Nothing could change what was said, or take back the tears shed, all she could do was learn, adapt, and most importantly move on to (hopefully) better things. She blinked when she heard a low growl and looked back and up at the bot holding her. “Grimlock?”

“Swoop and Snarl tell Dinobots what happen.”

Oh. Well, its not like she told them to keep it a secret, the Dinobots were as close as could be, and the t-rex was their leader. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, staring down at her lap.

“Why sorry?”

A number of reasons flittered through her mind, the list becoming longer and longer before setting on the one that pretty much summed everything up. “For being weak. I wish-” she stopped herself but she couldn’t already feel the tears wanting to start anew. Damnit, of all the bots to cry in front of she did not want to breakdown in front of him. She blinked as the hands holding her pulled her close, nearly engulfing her completely but the rumbling grew. It reminded her of a combination of an engine and a cat’s purr. Pressing herself against his chassis she closed her eyes against the tears, repeatedly telling herself everything would be alright, it would just take some time to get through it.

Grimlock peered down at the small human in his grip, made smaller with the way he cradled her close. Someone hurt her, not with wounds he could see but it made her sad and he wanted to find the one who did this and stomp him into the ground. He never came out and said it, but he and the others had claimed this human as their own and as leader he always watched over his own, even from the other Autobots.

It didn’t take long for him to reach the dug-out caves that served as their “rooms” and the doors immediately opened when it recognized his EM field. He said nothing as the other Dinobots watched him enter, their optics focused on his servos as he moved across the room and wordlessly sat on the large couch. Only then did his open his servos to reveal their human friend. Blinking she looked up at them, rubbing her eyes as she smiled up at them.

“Hi guys, told you I’d come visit,” she said with a slight sniff.

Sludge, who always seemed to the last one to get the joke, reached out with the tip of his digit and, with the utmost care, rubbed the side of the human’s face, wiping away a stray tear. It was clear he and the others wanted to ask if she was okay, to ask how they could help, but they chose not to. Instead he wordlessly took her into his own servos and sat next to their leader, holding her close to his chassis. That seemed to be what she really needed as once more she leaned into the warm plating with a quiet sigh. The others gathered close and someone turned on the view screen. Soon, an old movie of Godzilla began playing and the group was content to sit there and watch it together. It was less than halfway in that the leader of the Dinobots spoke up.

“Me Grimlock stronger than big lizard. Me beat him.”

“I bet you can, big guy,” the human said but settled to watch the movie, not minding as she was passed from one Dinobot to another with the utmost care. Sure she could have objected to being passed around like some sort of doll, but it felt nice being comforted like this without being asked if she was okay.

_‘_ _I may not be okay now, but I will one day.’_ She pushed the thought away as she settled against Slag who had also provided her with a light blanket to cover herself as Godzilla continued to wreak havoc over the island of Japan. Dino hugs really are the best, especially from the source itself.

**Author’s Notes:** Recently I really was betrayed by someone I never thought would do this to me even though I saw the signs. Yes he did insult me, yes he threaten my job, yes he stole from me, and yes he threaten myself and my mom. And yes, he has done to this to others but like the gullible idiot I am, I continued to try to help him. I have officially severed all ties with him and I never want anything to do with him. I wrote this, more as a way to get the hurt off my chest and to express my love of the Dinobots who show that is always much more than meets the eye.

**UPDATE:** The beautiful image was drawn by the very talented and wonderful human being Erika that I commissioned from her and led this to little story.

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATE: The beautiful image was drawn by the very talented and wonderful human being Erika that I commissioned from her and led this to little story.


End file.
